By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Aryna Sabalenka’s stellar campaign in the ongoing US Open Grand Slam event continues after dominating Emma Navarro in the semifinals of the women’s singles- 6.3, 7.6- to reach the championship stage on September 6, 2024, in Queens, New York.
Fresh off a demolition exhibition over Paris Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng, Sabalenka maintained her high-level outing to dispose the American challenger in straight sets.
Tearing a page from her strategy against Zheng, Sabalenka continued to apply pressure and kept Navarro on the back foot for the whole duration of the match.
Navarro, who is known as a power shot-maker in the tournament, was neutralized completely as Sabalenka just overwhelmed and countered her with a variety of top-spin attacks.
Navarro’s points came mostly from her flat forehands which was easily answered with Sabalenka’s tricky top-spin shots that kept on kissing the baseline.
A 6-3 start from Sabalenka steered her to the match’s momentum and never looked back despite Navarro waking up in the second and final frame.
Navarro displayed a better service game in the second set, helping her keep within striking distance to force a deciding tiebreaker.
The American ace looked comfortable in the first few baseline rally exchanges but soon as Sabalenka shifted gears and played the aggressor, that then marked the momentum-clinching 3-0 run.
With the late offensive pick-up that Sabalenka gained in the final four game possessions, Navarro just ran out of gas and could only watch the world no. 2 shred her apart with her consistent forehand bombs.
Sabalenka will have a day of rest before returning to the Arthur Ashe Stadium on September 8, 2024, against Jessica Pegula in the championship match.
